


(1)123457

by aaeiilnn, numberzero (aaeiilnn)



Series: Recount [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Ben isn't really here, Everyone apologize to Klaus, Gen, Hargreeves Children Support Group, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Whump, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, Obligatory Defend Klaus Fic, Sparrow Academy, Sparrow Academy Student Ben Hargreeves, i cant write an entire support grp meeting, it just PROMPTS them to, like really he isn't, post-s2, rated t because of mentions of drugs, so this is it, vaguely, you know they dont really talk it out in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25917247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aaeiilnn/pseuds/aaeiilnn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/aaeiilnn/pseuds/numberzero
Summary: "Ben was there the whole time! You could have told us! We thought—""He was dead?" Klaus rolled his eyes. "Yes, he is! Went into the light now! Left us all to fend for ourselves, that prick.""Or is he really still here, and you're just lying about it again? Can you seriously prove Ben isn't here?""Why is it whenever words come out of my mouth, there needs to be some proof? Hmm?"
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone, The Hargreeves Family
Series: Recount [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870099
Comments: 7
Kudos: 347





	(1)123457

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Try Again](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18156650) by [pprfaith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pprfaith/pseuds/pprfaith). 



> ✓ S2 SPOILERS SO IF YOURE SENSITIVE TO THAT KIND OF THING, LEAVE. Come back soon 👋🏽  
> ✓ I didn't think I'd make one of these since there's already a lot but it seems the Defend Klaus fic really is obligatory in the fandom?? i couldnt resist???? But see this version doesn't have Ben in it because S2 happened 🙃 We all cried, huh?  
> ✓ BY THE WAY I ONLY NOW NOTICED THE GREEN FLOATING BOX THING IN THE END OF S2 AND IM SO MAD I DIDNT NOTICE IT BECAUSE I COULD HAVE INCORPORATED IT SOMEWHERE UGH. Maybe I could still try? Hmm???? Ideas?

It must have been over a week since they found themselves trapped here.

The Reginald Hargreeves of this timeline or universe, whichever works, had visited. Everyone was sleeping, except for Klaus who suddenly startled everyone awake when he noticed the familiar silhouette walking towards them. They tried asking questions, demanding that they be let out, banging loudly at the door, but Reginald only stared at them in displeasure for a second before leaving once more. 

They haven't seen him since.

Everyone's awake, so they think it's morning, but their concept of time has been messed up for a while now. Five has resumed his pacing around the room, which Allison only allowed because he's been able to sleep for two nights in a row. Allison and Vanya leaned on each other, looking tired despite days of doing nothing. Diego is in the corner, doing push-ups. Luther sits with his back on the door, thinking that maybe if he's always got some weight on it, it may bend someday.

(No one's got a better idea, so they don't protest.)

Klaus was lying down on the floor, the only source of sound as he would sometimes sing a line from an old song, or ask a random question that had just passed his head. 

A shadow from the door gathers their attention. Luther stands from his place and steps back for all of them to see other-Ben's face, other-Number One, watching them from the outside. He motioned with his hands and they reluctantly moved back to the far side of the room, arms up, and facing the wall. The prison-like routine was established since yesterday when Zero checked in, brought them food, and they decided to attack her.

She might have gotten rid of their powers, but their years of training for various kinds of martial arts were still there. They thought that since she didn't go on missions, she'd be less trained than them.

(They were wrong and forgot about the physical shield.)

(Couldn't even touch her, _goddammit_. She just laughed at them and called them cute. ' _At least you tried_.')

Now, it feels more like a prison, despite the good and warm food, and how Zero willingly adjusts things to their tastes. They have clothes that fit their size well enough, the temperature gets adjusted often, and she even brought them a Twister game one time. But the clothes were uniform, they get checked on even in the night, and the Twister game was confiscated when Diego tried throwing the mat at Zero like a net the other day.

"Rita wants me to ask you if you need anything." Other-Ben states when he was inside with the doors locked. "Don't know why she bothers with you all, especially after your stupid attacks."

Five secretly tests his powers, but finds them still blocked, so he shook his head subtly at his team.

"I don't hear you asking." Klaus sang in a mocking tone, twisting to look at him with a grin. Other-Ben meets him with a grin of his own and, wow, there's this weird sort of pain in Klaus' chest area. Is this a heart pain or—?

"I don't hear any requests." Other-Ben replied in the same tone. He spared the rest of them another look before he turned to walk out and lock the door. By the time they all turned, he's nowhere to be seen and there are two bowls of chips set by the door that Rita has given them several times. 

Allison was the first to reach it and passed one to Luther, before sharing one with Vanya and Five. "Do you think that's what Ben would have been like?"

"Like an annoying bastard that still leaves food?" Klaus swiftly took a chip from Luther's bowl. "Yes, but also worse because he would have watched me eat this and talk about how ' _it's not healthy_ ' and ' _get some real food in you_ ' with a touch of ' _you look like the_ dead _, Klaus_ '."

Diego's eyes snapped to Klaus. "You never told us Ben was in Dallas the whole time."

"What?" Luther asked, not sure if he heard correctly. But the way Klaus groaned and turned his back on them confirmed it. "Ben?"

Diego walked to stand behind Klaus. "Ben was there the whole time! You could have told us! We thought—"

"He was _dead_?" Klaus rolled his eyes as he moved to be closer to the bowl Allison held instead. "Yes, he is! Went into the light now! Left us all to fend for ourselves, that _prick_."

"Or is he really still here, and you're just lying about it again? Can you seriously prove Ben isn't here?" Vanya recognizes the familiar tone Diego is using to be the same one he had every time he talked about his conspiracies involving Reginald Hargreeves and JFK. She stood up to add what she knew.

"Ben really is gone." She wrapped her arms around herself. "When…When I was losing control at that building, Ben was the one who talked me down. Then he said goodbye."

Allison also stood, shaking her head. "You should have told us, Klaus. How long has Ben been with us? Why didn't you say anything?"

Klaus huffed at the attention before standing up as well. "' _Us_ '? No, he's been with me ever since his damn funeral. And, by the way, don't fucking ask me why I never said because I _did_!"

Everyone flinched at the raised voice. "But when I made comments about Ben, the rest of you look at me like I'm disrespecting his name instead of letting you know of his opinions. Plus there was the time I told you about him in the first round of apocalypse, but none of you believed me! Not you," he waved to Vanya, "you weren't there."

"Well, if you showed us some proof, then—" But Luther got cut off by Klaus' glare.

" _Proof_?" He repeated, scoffing at the word. "Why is it whenever words come out of my mouth, there needs to be some proof? _Hmm_? I talked to you all in that bowling alley and had to try to show you proof." He faced Diego. "When you talked to Ben while he was rudely possessing me, I was there in the backseat while Ben drove and saw that you also asked for _proof_. Now, when I tell you that dearest brother has gone into the light, Vanya needed to step up like some sort of witness to _prove_ ," his arms flailed and his voice raised hysterically at that word, "I wasn't lying."

"That's not what—" Allison tried to calm him down, but he was on a roll.

"What he meant?" He continued. "What you _all_ meant? No, you all just couldn't trust me!"

Five pursed his lips. "It was hard to believe—"

"I SEE GHOSTS!" Klaus exclaimed, slightly tempted to impale his head into one of the spikes. "That's _literally_ my _thing_! Ben _died_ , I could _see_ him! How was that hard to believe?! I believed you when you told me you needed help to stop the apocalypse!" He pointed at Five. "I even helped you!"

"Well, with the drugs—" Luther started but left the rest of the words unsaid. Vanya closed her eyes, realizing before everyone else that that was the wrong thing to say.

Klaus breathed heavily after all the shouting. "You know," he said, voice softer but still holding a lot of frustration, "none of you ever asked where I got the drugs. Or how I started."

A chill went up Vanya's spine when she realized. "How _did_ you start?" She asked, though she suspects she knows the answer. "We were all heavily monitored back then. But you got them somehow… I thought you managed to sneak out or…"

"It was part of my _special_ training." The surprise was evident in his siblings' faces. "Supposedly, the drugs were going to make my powers stronger or something, but papa dearest put a stop to it because it just made it worse." He plopped down onto the floor and lay back staring at the spiked ceiling. "Which sucks for him because in my point of view, _hey, this awesome thing makes the ghosties disappear_!"

Vanya moved to lay down beside him. "He drugged me too. Told me it was medicine."

"Oh?" Klaus looked at her with a grin. "More things to discuss in the support group then."

"We didn't know…" Luther was, once again, sporting the look he had every time he learns a new disappointing thing about his father.

"We didn't ask." Allison added, sighing as she watched her two siblings on the ground. "Sorry." The others vaguely offering their own apologies.

"Hey, no," Klaus leaned on his elbows. "Well, Ben told me to think better of myself so I'll take that apology, thank you. But!" He exclaimed with a smile. "We were all messed up in this house, yeah?"

Agreeing nods from every person in the room.

"Then you're all invited to the support group Vanya and I have started. Come, take a spot." He gestured to the empty spaces around them and laid back down. Allison was the first to smile back and take the space beside Vanya. Luther hesitantly followed. Diego huffed, but dragged himself to lay down beside Klaus.

"What?" Five paused in his pacing, seeing them staring at him expectantly. He looked to the locked door, then back at them, before resigning himself to follow his siblings.

"So, how does this work?" Allison asked.

Klaus shrugged. "I don't really pay attention to these things."

"How about we just lie down in silence, and," Diego added quickly at the glare Allison gave him, "if we have any questions, just ask."

"But if you don't want to answer…" Vanya trailed off.

"Just 'pass' and we move on." Klaus continued surely.

"Pass."

Luther sent Five a look. "We haven't started yet."

"I don't like this." Five grumbled.

"We good?" Diego asked, addressing everyone.

Klaus glanced at everyone to see if they were comfortable. "Yeah, we're good."

**Author's Note:**

> ✓ I think Other-Ben would be great and he's just not fun around UA because they're technically his enemies/prisoners, right? He's probably real protective of his siblings 🥰 But also look at the crumbs of Ben and Klaus interaction 😭 I tried making them talk more, but they didn't want to !!!  
> ✓ The part about the drugs beginning with Reggie was inspired by Ch 44 in Try Again by pprfaith (which is really great btw) because I think this theory makes sense. (Is it not a theory? Has someone maybe confirmed it? Let me know!)  
> ✓ There is a bigger plot here somewhere,,,, it might just take us a few one shots (like 9 chapters i guess) to get there. 
> 
> ✓ Hope you enjoyed!


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